Editor’s Note: Related Tickers: Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY), Broadcom Corporation (NASDAQ:BRCM), Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG)
Apple patent eyes dual-sided trackpad for MacBook (CNET)
Your MacBook of the future could offer a dual-sided trackpad panel that features a touch screen on both sides. Awarded to Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) on Tuesday by the U.S. Patent and Trademark office, a patent appropriatedly dubbed “Dual-sided track pad,” describes a transparent and foldable trackpad panel with both a top and bottom display. The panel itself would take up the entire bottom of the notebook. Each side of the panel would recognize touch input and react accordingly based on whether the notebook is open or closed. On an open notebook, one side of the trackpad would be accessible. On a closed notebook, the other side would be accessible. And since the panel itself is transparent, you could see the entire screen.
Due to the variety and popularity of smartphone platforms available in the market today, it is not surprising that some developers are picky about which platform to develop for, at least initially. Well the good news for Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) 10 users is that if you were looking for a way to keep in touch with friends who are using Viber, it’s only a matter of time before the app will see its release on the platform. According to Viber’s CEO (via TruTower), the release of Viber for Blackberry 10 will come alongside the Blackberry 10.2 update and will be launched “hand-in-hand” with it.
Broadcom 5G WiFi to be Industry Benchmark (Zacks.com)
Leading semiconductor solutions provider Broadcom Corporation (NASDAQ:BRCM)’s 5G WiFi was selected by Wi-Fi Alliance, an association that promotes Wi-Fi technology and certifies Wi-Fi products, for its Wi-Fi CERTIFIED ac test suite. Based on the wireless computing standard IEEE 802.11ac, Wi-Fi CERTIFIED ac is the latest certification program from Wi-Fi Alliance. The latest test suite will be using Broadcom Corporation (NASDAQ:BRCM)’s BCM4360 chip for validating interoperability of various products. 5G WiFi technology is being globally adopted across various product segments. IEEE 802.11ac standard for 5G WiFi delivers reliable and faster Internet speeds, faster file transfers and a more effective way of power line communications.
It’s Up to the Judge Now in Apple’s Big Anti-Trust Case (The Atlantic)
The Department of Justice’s anti-trust case alleging collusion among Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and five major publishers to set prices on e-books ended last week. All of the publishers involved, insisting they had done nothing wrong, had already settled with DOJ and a group of state attorneys general rather than confront the very expensive litigation and the prospect of enormous fines should they lose. Only Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) went ahead with the trial, on grounds that it hadn’t colluded but had actually spent weeks in early 2010 haggling with the publishers separately over terms just before the launch of the iPad and the iBookstore.
BlackBerry launches service to manage Android, Apple devices (GMA News)
Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) launched a service on Tuesday allowing government agencies and corporate clients to secure and manage devices powered by Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG)’s Android platform and Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s iOS operating system. The long-anticipated offering, which Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) had said would come out around mid-year, could help the company sell high-margin services to its large clients even if many, or all, of their workers are using smartphones made by its competitors. The new Secure Work Space feature will be managed through BlackBerry Enterprise Service (BES) 10, a new back-end system launched at the start of this year that allows Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY)’s clients to control mobile devices on their internal networks.
A New Study Shows that Apple’s iOS holds a Staggering Stranglehold on Smartphone and Tablet App Profits (Patently Apple)
During Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s successful World Wide Developer Conference held earlier this month in San Francisco, Apple’s CEO Tim Cook pounded home statistics proving that iOS is an incredible profit generating machine for developers. To back that fact up even further, a new report published by ABI Research today projects that the mobile app market will be valued at $27 billion in 2013 and that Apple’s iOS is by far the leading OS in terms of profit. The stats claimed by ABI are staggering in stark contrast to reports that Android is the number one OS. In volume, Android may very well be the leading operating system in the world – but if you’re a developer, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s iOS is the only game in town that will deliver home the profits needed to get ahead in this business.
Broadcom XLP900 Scales Compute to 1.28 trillion Operations per Second (InternetNews.com)
The XLP900 multi-core CPU family is a MIPS-based solution that can scale up to 1.28 trillion operations per second of compute performance. The XLP900 has multiple target market verticals, including wireless infrastructure, storage, and security applications. Chris O’Reilly, senior director of Broadcom Corporation (NASDAQ:BRCM)’s Processors & Wireless Infrastructure Business, explained that each processor has up to 80 nxCPUs on it. O’Reilly explained that an nxCPU is about threading, with four or more nxCPUs per processor core. The top-end XLP900 chip has 20 cores on the chip.
Samsung scores another win versus Apple, this time in Japan (CNET)
Score one for Samsung in the company’s long-running patent battles with Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL). A Japanese high court upheld a lower court ruling that Samsung did not infringe on an Apple patent related to synchronizing music and video on Galaxy smartphones and tablets with servers, according to a report from Bloomberg. The Intellectual Property High Court in Tokyo backed an August decision by Tokyo District Court that Samsung’s mobile devices don’t infringe on Apple technology. Following that ruling, Apple filed paperwork in October to appeal the decision.
BlackBerry winds down BB10 pay-to-port rewards, payouts top $4M (Fiercemobilecontent)
Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) is bringing to a close a series of Port-A-Thon events designed to foster developer interest in its BlackBerry 10 operating system, halting payment rewards for developers who port their mobile applications to the platform. BlackBerry kicked off the Port-A-Thons in January, offering developers $100 for every app and game successfully ported to BlackBerry 10 from rival operating systems like Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG)’s Android and Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s iOS. The first virtual event generated 15,000 ports over a single weekend, and another yielded 19,000 more. In all, the BlackBerry World app store added more than 40,000 BB10 ports through the program, with developer payouts eclipsing $4 million.
‘Nothing is private anymore’: Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak on NSA scandal, ‘Jobs’ movie and Kanye West (New York Daily News)
While National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden remains on the run, he has a Silicon Valley legend in his corner. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) co-founder Steve Wozniak, who revolutionized technology with partner Steve Jobs, said the government’s hunt for the ex-NSA contractor ultimately exposes how freedom in the U.S. is “just a joke.” The Daily News spoke with the 62-year-old millionaire inventor Tuesday about the NSA scandal, as well as his take on the upcoming Jobs biopic and his newfound kinship with Kanye West.
